Means for attaching printing-plates to cylinders



C E. DRANGE.

MEANS FOR ATTACHING PRINTING PLATES T0 CYLINDERS.

Patented Nov. 30, 192 0.

A PPLICATION FILED JAN; 20, 1916. 1,360,378. 3 SHEETSSHEET I.

C. E. DRANGE.

MEANS FOR ATTACHING PRINTING PLATES T0 CYLINDERS.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20,1916. 1,360,378, Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 v WH C. E. DRANGE.

MEANS FOR ATTACHING PRINTING PLATES T0 CYLINDERS.

APPLICATION FILED JANIZOI me. 1 360,378, Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI 3.

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CARL EBERHARD DRANGE, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB. To ISABELLA SCOTT AND DAVID J. SCOTT, EXECUTQRS OF WALTER SCOTT, DECEASED.

MEANS FOR ATTACHING PRINTING-PLATES TO CYLINDERS.

Specification of Letters Fatent. lt ittfil'ltfld NOV. 30, 1920- Application filed January 20, 1916. Serial No. 73,094.

T 0 all whom it may] concern:

Be it known that I, CABLE. DRANGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Plainfield, in the county of Union and. State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Attaching Printing-Plates to Cylinders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to printing machines employing flexible printing plates, such as rotary lithographic presses, and more particularly to means for placing flexible printing plates of the type shown in the companion application 6%956, Dec. 1, 1915, in position on the cylinders.

The size of presses using flexible metallic printing plates has increased with the beginning of the use of such plates in newspaper production. This'has also necessitated an increase in the size of the plates themselves. Owing to the tendency of large and thin metal sheets to buckle, great difliculty has been experienced in placing the flexible plates in position on the cylinders. an object of this inventionis to provide means for rigidly holding the plates in a flat position until they are secured to the surface of the supporting cylinders.

This object is attained by providing a transporting frame, or bed, for the flexible plate which is placed in horizontal position on a supporting table. The plate is clamped into position on the frame which is then bodily lifted to a vertical position and the lower end thereof placed on carriers arranged to slide on vertical guide posts. When in this position the upper end'of the frame is tilted against an adjacent plate cylinderwhereupon the upper end of the plate is secured in a slot or groove provided for the purpose in the face of the cylinder. By rotating the cylinder the plate is caused to wrap itself about the cylinder, the carriers meanwhile sliding upwardly along the guide posts. This operation is continued until the lower end of the flexible plate has been brought opposite a corresponding slot in the cylinder whereupon the remaining end of the flexible plate is secured to the cylinder to complete the placing of the flexible plate in position'on the cylinder.

Other features of construction will. ap pear as the specification proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings:

. Figure =1 illustrates a view in side. elevaside pieces of the frame together.

pion of the supporting table on which the transporting frame is adapted to be placed in plate receiving position. i

Fig. 2 is an end view partly in elevation and partly in section of the supporting table illustrated in Fig. 1. i L

Fig. 3 is an end view partly in elevation and partly in section of a part of a rotary press showing the manner of supporting and securing the flexible plate in positionon the cylinder. f

Fig. 4: is an enlarged view showing in detail the means for securing the upper end of the plate to the cylinder. I

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view showing in detail one of the carriers for the lower end of the plate just after the sliding movement up the guide post has begun. 7

Similar reference characters refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings 1 represents the lateralframe members of the table 2. The members l are rigidly connected by the rods 3. A bed 4 of wood or equivalent material forms the table top and has a cut-away portion 5 along the upper edge of either side which is adapted to receive a bar 6. The bars 6 form the side pieces of a transport ing frame 7. Rods 8 serve to connect the M Grooves 9, cut in the upper face of the table top are adapted to receive the transverse rods 8 when the frame is in position on the table.

A bracket 10 secured to the wooden bed 4 near the end of each lateral edge provides a slot 11 between the upstanding members 12. The bars 6 are also provided with spaced members 13 which provide slots let which register with'the slots 11 in the brackets 10 when the frame is in place on the table. Handles 15 at the ends of the bars '6 form aconvenient means for carrying the frame from place to place. Closely adjacent each handle is a notch, or groove, 16 the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained.

Reinforcing means adapted to be clamped to each end of a flexible plate 17 are formed of the members 18 and 19. Screws 20 are employed to cause the members 18 and 19 to grip an end of the flexible plate therebe tween. T-angs 21 rectangular in cross-section on the main clamping member 18 are adapted to fit into the slots 1]. and 14- to hold the clamping members in position while the end of a plate is being fitted into place therebetween.

In Fig. 3 is shown at 22 a base member on which the frame member 23, shown as partly broken-away, is supported. Carried by the frame are the cylinders 24 and 25 one of which, as the cylind r 24-, may be form cylinder to which the flexible printing; plates are applied.

Mounted in the base member 22 is shown at 26 one of a pair of guide posts on each of which is mounted slidable support, or carriage 27. These supports take the form of sleeves from which extend lugs 28 forming between them. a. slot 29 adapted. to receive the portion 0"" the tangs 21. which has just been removed cm the slots ll in the table brackets 10. Projecting from each post :26 is an L-shaped lug 30 adapted to support frame piece 6 by en agement with the notches 16 already referr' to. A supporting lug 36 fixed in each poi; is adapted to hold the sleeves at a convenient distance above the lugg s 30 so that the tangs 21 can be easily inser on into the slots 29 when the frame is being supported on the lugs 80.

Formed in the periphery of the plate cylinder 24; are the slot :21 which communicate with enlarged opening or pockets 32 within which are mounted cevices 33 of the type shown in applic. ion li o. Gel-95b, referred to for secnrn the plate r ing members and for placing the plate state of strain.

The ope fation of the dev'c- The transporting frame '7 is ii placed in position on the table 2. The platoend reirn forcing members are then placed in posi-- tion with their tangs fitting into the slot 11 and A- in the brackets 10 and bars 6. printing plate 17 is then laid on the we an table top and. the ends made secure between the clamping members of the reinforcing means.

The whole frame with the flexible print ing plate secured thereto is then transpo: bodily, by means of the handles 15, to press where the notches 16 are placed in engagement w'hh the lugs 80 on the guide posts 26. The frame is now swung to a. vertical position on the lugs 30 as pivot and the projecting portions of the tangs 21, which have previously occupied the slots 11 of the table, are placed in the slots 29 in the slidable members 27.

The upper edge of the frame is swung to a position closely adjacent the cylinder 2 land the cylinder is rotated until a slot 31 is brought into a position near the upper end of the printing plate. The reinforced end of the printing plate is next removed from the transporting frame and secured in position in the adjacent slot in the cylinder.

The frame can now be removed and a slow rotation of the cylinder will wrap the flexias follows:

from the members 27 and secured in position in the slot in the cylinder.

The straining devices 33 are now manipulated by means of the screws 34 which bear on the straining device operating dogs 35 to pull on opposite ends of the printing plate and thus hold the plate securely and immovably in place on the cylinder.

The method disclosed in this application is claimed inv divisional application filed Sept. 29, 1916, No. 122.849.

W hat is claimed, is:

1. A device for attaching flexible printing member to a cylinder comprising: a portable support, a cylinder, means for removably mounting said flexible printing member on said support in a position that will prevent buckling of said member, means whereby said support maybe moved to bring said member into a position where it may be attached to said cylinder, and means for transferring the flexible printing member from the portable support to the cylinder.

2. A device for attaching a flexible sheet metal printing plate to acylinder comprising: a portable plate support, a cylinder, means for removably mounting said plate on said support in a fiat position, means whereby said support and said plate may be moved to bring said plate into engagement with said cylinder, and means for seuring said plate to said cylinder.

Adevice for attaching a flexible sheet metal plate to a cylinder comprising: a. rigid frame adapted to have a plate secured thereto, a pivotal support on which said frame can be tilted to bring said plate into engagement with said cylinder, and means for securing said plate to said cylinder.

l. A device for attaching a flexible sheet metal printing plate to a cylinder comprising: a portable frame, means for attaching said plate to said frame in a horizontal position, a support for said frame, means on one end of said frame for pivotally engagins; said support whereby said frame may be tilted to a vertical position with the upper end adjacent the cylinder, and means for securing said flexible plate to said cylinder.

5. A device for attaching a flexible sheet metal plate to a cylinder comprising: means for securing one end of said plate to said cylinder, and means for maintaining the remaining portion of said plate in a substantially flat condition while the cylinder is rotated to wind said plate onto'said cylinder.

6. A device for attaching a flexible sheet metal plateto a cylinder comprising: a support for said plate, means for bringing one end of said support into engagement with said cylinder and attaching the corresponding end of said plate to said cylinder, and means for maintaining the free portion of said plate in substantially a fixed plane while the plate is being wound onto said cylinder.

7. A device for attaching a flexible sheet metal plate to a cylinder comprising: a support for said plate, a guide-way. a member movable along said guideway toward said cylinder, means for mounting said support on said guideway and securing one end of' said plate to said cylinder, whereby upon ro-.

tation of said cylinder the movable member will move along said guideway until the remaining end of said plate is brought into. engagement with said cylinder.

8. A device for securing reinforcing members to the ends of a flexible sheet metal plate comprising: reinforcing means, asupport, means on said support for removably holding said reinforcing'means, and means for securing the ends of said plate to said reinforcing means. A

9. A device for attaching reinforcing members to the ends of a flexible sheet metal printing plate comprising: reinforcing means for the ends of said plate, a framework, means on said framework for holding said reinforcing means, and means for securing the ends of said printing plate to said reinforcing means While said reinforcing means are being held by said framework.

10. A device for attaching reinforcing members to the ends of a flexible sheet metal printing plate comprising: reinforcing means for the ends of said plate, a portable frame, means for supporting said frame in a horizontal position, means on said frame cooperating with means on said supporting means for holding said reinforcing means, and means for securing the ends of said plate to said reinforcing means.

11. A device for attaching a flexible sheet metal printing plate to a cylinder comprising: means for securing one end of a plate to a cylinder, a sliding member adapted to have the remainin end of said plate secured thereto and to hold said plate under tension while the cylinder is being rotated to transfer the plate thereto.

12. A device for attaching a flexible sheet metal printing plate to a cylinder comprising: means for reinforcing the ends of a plate, a stationary support having means for holding said reinforcing means, a portable plate support having means for holding said reinforcing means, said portable support being arranged to be supported by said stationary support and to have the holding means thereon arranged to cooperate with the holding means on said stationary support to hold said reinforcing means While a plate is being attached to said reinforcing means.

13. An apparatus for clamping a flexible sheet metal printing plate to a cylinder comprising: a stationary plate su port, plate reinforcing members removab y mounted on said stationary plate support, a portable plate support removably positioned on said stationary plate support, means for attaching a printing plate to said reinforcing members while said plate and said reinforcing members are held on said stationary I plate support, and means whereby said plate with its reinforcing members may be removed from said stationary support by means of said portable plate support and placed in such relation to a printing cylinder that said reinforcing members and said printing plate may be clamped to said cylinder without releasing the tension on said plate.

Signed at Plainfield in the county of Union and State of New Jersey this 18th day of January A. D. 1916.

CARL EBERHARD DRANGE. 

